Yesterday started quite misty at Addo and when I arrived at the South Game area Gate the guard told me that the lions were all around his hut pre dawn. Sure enough they were grunting in the thick mist close by. I set off down the hill hoping to see them in the road but got quite a nice sighting of a Caracal instead. before it slunk into the thick bush. I came across A jackal sitting in the middle of the road about a Km further as the mist was lifting..took a couple of pics of him just after he gave an impressive isplay of howling at the sky while sitting upright. However later on when the sun came out a jackal (normally very shy in E Cape) was trotting towards me on the road. I switched off and got the camera ready half expecting him to veer sharply into the bush. He came alongside and gave me a chance at his portrait.

{Pic replaced with a leaner one for dial-up users. The original (of the same quality) can be found here. DQ}

We were lucky enough to have two sightings of the BBJ last year, the first at the Renosterkoppies Dam in Feb. and the second was on the H4-2 not far from Croc Bridge and he was trotting round the fringes of a Lion kill hoping to be able to get a morsel.

We saw lots of black-backed jackal in KTP in October - I would estimate at least 15 a day. They've had three years of good rains in row, and there has been an rodent population explosion. So food is plentiful for these clever hunters. They are always entertaining to watch.

A jackal trotting:

And another one slinking:

Jackals greeting by touching noses:

Jackals feeling less friendly towards each other:

_________________Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. - Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

restio, I think you have a Side Stripped Jackal here. In your first pic, you can see the two lines on the Black Backed are "black" whereas the same stripes on the Side Stripped are "white." Unfortunately you cannot see the white tip to the tail [but you cannot see a black tip either].

_________________Latest Lifers: Brown-Backed Honeybird; Violet-Eared Waxbill; Green-Winged Pytilia; and heard often but never seen - Yellow-Fronted Tinkerbird (±2m away in the open)

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